Scams
This page/comments section is not for reporting scammers / accusing people. If you've been scammed or seen a scammer, report them through the official channels. Scamming is the act of tricking another player out of their money or items. In Hypixel Skyblock, there are multiple different types of scams to be wary of. These can be divided into three different categories: * Types that take advantage of gameplay mechanics * Types related to phishing * Types that take advantage of players There are limited types of scams that take advantage of game mechanics, while scams that take advantage of players are extremely common and have many different methods. Phishing scams are uncommon, but are difficult to detect. Once a scammer has access to the victim's account, they can then steal all the victim's SkyBlock items, wipe progress on the victim's account on all servers, and steal the victim's account itself. Players can be reported for attempted or successful scamming. However, victims of scams are never guaranteed to have their scammed items returned to them, even if Hypixel punishes the scammer—so it's best to know how to prevent scams in the first place. Player Scams Unbalanced Trades This is a scenario where the scammer attempts to trade oblivious players a less worthy item for something with higher worth, such as asking for a Runaan's Bow, and then offering an Ender Bow for it. It is recommended that you carefully check all the details about the item before trading, especially their name and rarity. If you're not sure, check the individual page of whichever item you're receiving first to make sure you got all the correct information. Auctions Players advertise a worthless item on their auction, with the promise that the auction winner would supposedly get a high-tier item. Upon receiving the payment, the scammer takes off with the money. The quitting scam is another variant of an auction scam. The scammer will claim that they are quitting and the winner of their auction receives the scammer's items. When the victim bids on the scammer's items, the scammer takes off after receiving the payment. Crafting When a player has the items to craft something (such as a Pigman or Leaping Sword), they usually ask the lobby if they have friends or fellow guild members with the recipe. This is not recommended, as someone can just say yes, but take your materials. Borrowing Sometimes a player will ask to borrow an item from another person for a quest but then leave with the item without returning it. Duplication Glitch Scam Occasionally, a player may claim that they are able to duplicate items and offer to duplicate other players' items. After receiving items that are worth little, they will return double the amount, in order to gain trust. When they obtain an expensive item, they will not return it and take the item. Real-World Trading Aside from violating the Rules of Hypixel and risking a ban, players who engage in real-world trading may find themselves at risk of having their accounts compromised. A real-world trading website may request the victim's email address in order to verify the transaction. Using the email address, they will then attempt to crack the victim's password and recovery questions in order to take all the victim's items. Item Switching Scam A scammer will offer to trade a valuable item. However, the scammer will decline the trade and blame it on lag or a misclick, then send another trade request. This time, the scammer will offer a much less valuable but similar-looking item in the trade window, hoping the victim doesn't notice. The victim pays the price of the expensive item for a cheaper item. Backpack Scam The scammer will put a Medium to Greater Backpack on their auction house and advertise that they left a valuable item in the backpack by accident and ask the victim for help getting it back. This will potentially start a bidding war over the backpack; however, it is impossible to auction a backpack that has items in it. Scams Using Game Mechanics Island Stealing (Co-op Insiding) A player may ask to join or offer items in exchange for joining someone's co-op island, only to grief it by stealing items or destroying the island. Island stealing can also have two new players join a co-op and then vote out the original owner. Scams related to phishing Phishing site scam There are multiple forms of the phishing site scam. All of them involve the scammer attempting to get the victim to enter their Minecraft account's login details into their website, which may or may not resemble the official Minecraft website. The scammer then logs into the victim's account and takes all of their items. Scammers will often offer victims incentives to login to the fake website, such as being given a valuable item. Some scammers will also pose as Hypixel staff and tell their victims in private messages that they are being considered for a position as a player moderator, which they will receive if they verify their account details on the (fake) website. Another way is scammers will send out fake emails telling players they have been banned, and need to log-in to appeal their ban. YouTube Phishing Some scammers will claim that if players search YouTube for a specific phrase or channel name, they can watch videos that teach them how to easily make money or promise a giveaway of items. Instead, these videos attempt to phish victims' login details by telling them to log into a third-party website controlled by the scammers or find the username's details and use a password cracker to compromise the account. These third-party sites may resemble a site controlled by Mojang. For example, the scammer may provide a link to a "post on the Hypixel/Minecraft forums" which is actually a third-party site disguised as the forums which then prompts you for a password. After the player logs into the third-party website, the account will be compromised and the scammer will log in to steal all items. Password Phishing A scammer will attempt to get a victim to say their password aloud. One possible way to do this is to say "Look, Hypixel changed it to where you can't say your password backward anymore! See, mine is ********." However, the asterisks are actual asterisks; it will not censor passwords and variations of passwords, such as passwords said backward. The scammer will then log into the victim's account and take all their items. Another variant of this scam is to tell players to change their password to something specific, then log out in order to receive free items. This will simply result in the scammer logging into the victim's account and stealing their valuables. How to avoid being scammed * If a deal seems too good to be true, it is probably a scam. ** For example, with the quitting scam, a legitimate player would have simply given their items away rather than asking for bids. * If someone asks to join your co-op, unless you completely trust them, don't bother. (/coopadd will send an invitation to the player for the island you are currently on.) * If the person requires you to give them valuable items while giving you back some other items after the current trade (such as two-time trades), it is probably a scam. * For items you are not willing to lose, it is advised at any point to not drop them or offer them in trust trades. ** As of the 0.7.6 update, coins can now be traded directly through the trade window. * Keep account information secure. Only enter your account information into the official Minecraft website and launcher and don't tell anyone else your password, recovery questions, or email address. * Always carefully check the trade window to verify which items are being traded. ** Using a reputable SkyBlock resource pack from the Hypixel forums can help show different items should the scammer try to switch items. * If someone asks you to buy something from the auction house (e.g. not a common item), it is likely a scam, especially if it is overpriced. * If you need something crafted, either obtain the crafting recipe yourself or ask a close friend of yours (if he has the recipe) to craft for you. * Never give more than you are willing to lose. Category:Mechanics